Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 22, 1994 TAG: 9405210015
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LESLIE DREYFOUS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NASHVILLE, TENN. LENGTH: Long
That glossy image aptly described singer Michael English. At the same time, though, it strayed rather far from the point.
The contemporary Christian music world isn't about slick celebrity. In theory, it's about ministry.
The balance is delicate, as everyone in the industry was reminded when English returned an armload of the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards last month, tumbling overnight from his status as a top Christian artist to that of ``fallen man.''
He'd been having an affair. An affair with another gospel singer, Marabeth Jordan, who now has been replaced by her group, First Call. She and he both were married - to other people. Together, they are expecting a child.
It's not clear whether English gave up his awards and place in the industry because all this was soon to come out, or whether it was purely an act of conscience.
Either way, his very public fall brought very personal questions to the performers, producers and fans of CCM, as the gospel subset is known. How far had they strayed from their original mission, to whom were they accountable, who was to judge?
``The question becomes: Is Michael English an entertainer or a minister?'' said the Rev. Mike Smith, whose congregation at Christ Community Church in suburban Franklin is spiritual home to many in the business.
``We're committed to following Jesus, and that's got to be the commitment in this music industry,'' he said. ``I think a number of people realize it. But a number of them are clueless. ... It's easy to lose focus.''
The gospel genre known as contemporary Christian music has grown over the last decade into a $500 million-plus industry involving major record labels, more than 100 video outlets, concert halls filled with adoring fans, and marketing material that might inflate any head.
It exists side-by-side with a world in which Madonna's lewd antics now draw barely a yawn, where the unwed Wynonna Judd's pregnancy constituted a recent photo opportunity, and where infidelity is the least of sins debated on afternoon TV.
``I think all of us have stopped and said, `Whoa ... that could be any of us,' '' said Michael Card, a multi-Dove Award winner and happily married father of four.
A playful guy in a beard and bottle-rim glasses, he has felt the pressure. A record promoter suggested not long ago that if he just removed the word ``Jesus'' from the title of his lullaby album, it would be marketable to a far wider audience. It was a compromise he refused to make.
``We're in a real transition. ... It's almost like there's this entity that has evolved its own values. Everyone seems to be carried along by this beast - this CCM beast,'' Card said. ``The Michael English question isn't even central. It's just a wake-up call. ... The question is: If the industry has very little or no connection to the community, what are we playing for?''
Ego. Self-interest. Gratification. They test the ideals of doctors, lawyers, cops, reporters, politicians - all kinds of people - every day. In the Christian music business, however, holding the high road is paramount to success. Stray, and the ministry is compromised. Stray far, or publicly, and all credibility is lost.
That's why when Michael English turned in his awards and was dropped by his record label, when his lover was dismissed from her group, when radio stations stopped playing his music, it was not surprising.
Neither, though, was it as simple as it appears. Forgiveness, after all, is a cornerstone of Christian faith. Many in the industry, as well as fans, said last week that they were loath to cast stones.
There were some, like the wizened guy who'd just picked up a round of drinks at a local bar, who said it was a simple question of hypocrisy. ``If you're going to be a Christian singer, then be a Christian,'' he said flatly.
But more seemed to share Betty Putman's gentler view. A loyal fan and devout Christian, she admires Michael English, the ``man's guts for confessing,'' the way she admired Jimmy Swaggart when others made fun.
``The whole thing, the whole ballgame in Christianity, is forgiveness. I feel badly, but Michael is not perfect. The only man who was died on the cross a long time ago,'' she said. ``The community is supposed to not only chastise you when you go astray, but also nurture you and lift you up again.''
Different approaches to the issue are evident even in local radio.
At WWWR, a Roanoke AM station specializing in contemporary Christian music, English's songs are still being played. "Our understanding is that he's asked forgiveness," said afternoon disc jockey Mike Campbell. Listeners have supported the decision, Campbell said. English's "songs still speak of hope and mercy in Christ," Campbell said, something the artist also deserves.
English's music is "on hold ... until further notice" at WPIN/WPIR - the Roanoke and New River Valley FM stations of the Positive Alternative Radio group. Gloria Bensen said the stations decided to wait "to hear more about what's going on" before resuming play of English's songs. On the other hand, it would "not be fair to the other girls" in First Call to stop playing that group's music because of Jordan's actions, Bensen said.
Contemporary Christian music took root in the 1970s, when young people impassioned by Jesus began using folk and rock tunes to express their love. They played in coffeehouses, church basements. They played in order to preach.
From those early years, a myriad of styles has flowered, including rap, country, bluegrass, heavy metal, hip-hop, and crossover artists like Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. This one sounds like Stevie Nicks, this one recalls James Taylor. This one is rocked by a Springsteen style, or backed up by a haunting woodwind melody that could belong to Kenny G.
What all share is an intimate conversation with Christ. When these artists sing of losing their way, they are not talking of a love affair gone bad. When they speak to questions of faith, they are not focused on life's bumpy ride.
``When we started out 20 years ago, people sang because they had an insatiable desire to communicate with Christ,'' said Steve Camp, who has had steady success with 15 albums.
``I think that desire is still there, just not as prevalently as it could or should be,'' he said. ``It's easy to think about voice lessons or how to make a better demo tape ... rather than real, genuine ministry.''
Camp says he does not presume to judge English, with whom until recently he shared the same record label. Still, he absolutely approves of Warner Alliance's decision to pull the plug on his former colleague.
``Neil Joseph, the company's president, knows that happiness is convenient, but holiness costs,'' Camp said. ``I praise God for a man with integrity and spirituality enough to stand true to the Lord regardless of the political or financial ramifications.''
And there are ramifications. English was a major star in his arena, a sweet tenor often compared to pop star Michael Bolton. But, Warner Alliance said in a statement, ``When he decided to take actions that were contrary to the very ideals he had been espousing, our only course of action was to stop representing that `platform.' ''
It is perhaps a moral stand. It is perhaps a stab at preserving ``our credibility before the Lord and with you, our partners,'' the record-buying fans and record-promoting retailers to whom the release was addressed.
``There has been a misconception out there that a lot of the decisions regarding Michael English have been moral judgments,'' said Mark DeYoung, a Nashville station manager who has taken the artist off his playlist, for now.
The station was deluged with calls criticizing his decision. But, DeYoung said, had he continued playing English's music, as many calls likely would have come from equally outraged listeners with the opposite view.
``These are really business decisions,'' said DeYoung, who likened his position to that of a friend at a secular station who yanked Michael Jackson's records after the singer was accused of child molestation.
``Christian consumers, as odd as that sounds, all have different points of view,'' he said. ``Some are extremely legalistic, moralistic. Then I have listeners who are more liberal and really don't care. So it's tough. But you know, I play other artists ... that I know are not necessarily living up to what would be the common moral expectations of the Christian community.''
If every contemporary Christian music artist were placed under the microscope, he said, ``There would be no one left.''
The difference is that Michael English's fall from grace did not occur in private. What he will do now remains to be seen. There are rumors that he's not remorseful. But, since he and Jordan have withdrawn from public view, few know for sure.
Michael English could do very well in the secular world. No doubt more than a few big-city record execs have considered the marketing possibilities. But for those who regard their music as a ministry, that is beside the point.
by CNB